Warner Bros.
2017 Color
109 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Lulu Wilson, Miranda Otto, Anthony LaPaglia, Talitha Bateman and Joseph Bishara star.
Written by Gary Dauberman
Directed by David F.Sandberg
Rated R for violence, gore and terror.
The Conjuring is one of the scariest horror films I've ever seen. There's a real sense of believable darkness about it. In that film James Wan began a cinematic Universe which preyed on audience's most simplistic fears. Fears of the dark, the unknown, strange noises in the night, the unseen, etc. It is a perfect blend of character and story growth, effective performances and a much needed dose of classic terror. Since than the universe has burdened us with an overly melodramatic and hammy Annabelle prequel as well as a solid but over the top Conjuring sequel. So here we are now at a prequel to Annabelle a film of overly mediocre quality that really didn't really deserve a follow up. Well like the recent, terrifying Ouija 2 this installment fares way better than it's predecessor and most surprisingly is the most effective entry since the original Conjuring.
The film centers around a couple in the 50's who looses their daughter in a horrible accident. So many years later they open up their house to a group of Catholic orphans. It however, just so happens that the father had handcrafted the original Annabelle doll and after loosing their daughter had unwittingly invited an evil spirit to accompany it. They of course did their best to contain that evil but now with the arrival of new visitors the evil has escaped and is in search of a new body.
The film does a nice job of setting up the story and characters even though it feels a bit rushed at times. That being said the scares are quite terrifying and effective even though a few of them feel a bit silly. The performances are solid all around as well as the staging by Lights Out Director David F. Sandberg. As the film rockets towards it's inevitable but clever finale it becomes more aggressive and even a little grotesque. It never quite hits the Conjuring high notes but does manage to succeed not just as a solid entry to the franchise but as the film that solidifies the new horror universe they have succeeded in creating.
The Conjuring is one of the scariest horror films I've ever seen. There's a real sense of believable darkness about it. In that film James Wan began a cinematic Universe which preyed on audience's most simplistic fears. Fears of the dark, the unknown, strange noises in the night, the unseen, etc. It is a perfect blend of character and story growth, effective performances and a much needed dose of classic terror. Since than the universe has burdened us with an overly melodramatic and hammy Annabelle prequel as well as a solid but over the top Conjuring sequel. So here we are now at a prequel to Annabelle a film of overly mediocre quality that really didn't really deserve a follow up. Well like the recent, terrifying Ouija 2 this installment fares way better than it's predecessor and most surprisingly is the most effective entry since the original Conjuring.
The film centers around a couple in the 50's who looses their daughter in a horrible accident. So many years later they open up their house to a group of Catholic orphans. It however, just so happens that the father had handcrafted the original Annabelle doll and after loosing their daughter had unwittingly invited an evil spirit to accompany it. They of course did their best to contain that evil but now with the arrival of new visitors the evil has escaped and is in search of a new body.
There are a few Easter eggs scattered throughout for the franchise's fans one of which includes the nightmarish nun from Conjuring 2 which will get her own spin off movie next year. It's strange that in this day and age that the new horror universe that in past consisted of Dracula, Frankenstein and the wolf man and than Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers has transformed into something that's inspired by real life events. it certainly echoes our times and is both inspired and exciting to look forward to. ****.25/5
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